
We have had an amazing Raider Winter Season! Congratulations to our champions and state qualifiers! #WeAreRaiderProud
We have had an amazing Raider Winter Season! Congratulations to our champions and state qualifiers! #WeAreRaiderProud
We have all experienced the unpredictability of winter storms this season. The Hudson School District is closely monitoring the weather for Wednesday and Thursday. At this time, we are holding on making a decision on any school closures until we have a clear idea on the actual amount of snow in our community. We know other school districts have made the decision to close school in advance of the storm. We feel it is in the best interest of our kids and staff to wait to make the determination until the storm actually arrives.
We want families to plan and have as much advance notice as possible of any changes to the school day. A decision to close schools on Wednesday will be sent to families and staff no later than 5:00 A.M. Wednesday, but may be made yet this evening. If school is held on Wednesday, we will have a 3-hour early release. This means:
Based on the storm predictions for Wednesday afternoon into Thursday, we will likely be closed on Thursday. We may also experience a delay or closure on Friday depending on blowing and drifting snow.
What does this mean for making up lost instructional time?
If there is a school closure for a full day, we will need to make up instructional time. The School District will add 10 minutes to the school day. It has not been determined if this additional time would be at the start of the day, end of the day, or a combination of both (details will be sent to families and staff by Friday). The High School will no longer have Wednesday early release days. Both the additional minutes to the day and the removal of the High School Wednesday early release days would start on Monday, February 27, 2023.
In the event there are no additional snow days, with the added minutes to the day, we could potentially have the last day for students be June 8, 2023.
Families and staff will be notified if there are any changes to the above plan.
The Board of Education took action and approved two questions for the April 4th spring election.
The Hudson Mental Health Advisory Council is hosting a presentation by John Klem, PhD, LPC, Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at UW-Stout. Dr. Klem will discuss what mental health is, what are the needs and trends, and what families can do at home.
Questions? Email connections@hudsonraiders.org or call 715.377.3703
January is Board of Education Recognition Month. As citizens who serve students and the community, school board members face complex and demanding challenges. Thank you to this dedicated group of individuals who contribute their time and leadership to move the Hudson School District’s mission and vision forward.
Pictured from left to right: Carrie Whitacre (Clerk), Rob Brown, Heather Logelin (Treasurer), Kate Garza, Bob Baumann (Vice-President), Molly Powers, Jamie Johnson (President)
Mission
We are dedicated to developing caring and contributing community members. We are collectively committed to providing a rigorous, student-centered environment to ensure equitable experiences for all students.
Vision
The Hudson School District empowers all students to cultivate their talents, embrace their passions, and leverage their learning to impact the world around them.
Thank you to our bus drivers at Safe Way for their generous donations to families who are homeless or in need within our Hudson Schools! This year Safe Way filled 31 gift boxes! Boxes included toys for little ones, throw blankets, Raider apparel, basic necessities (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc.), gift cards to area businesses, and many other items for families. This is the 6th year Safe Way drivers have adopted Hudson families. Our Safe Way partners are an amazing caring crew!!
The Education Foundation of Hudson awarded Star Grants in December for innovative classroom projects and curriculum training. The foundation awarded grants totaling over $15,000 for seven projects involving several educators and touching many schools in Hudson.
Foundation Board President Lynn Krueger, and other board members, presented the awards during ceremonies at Hudson High School on December 8. He told recipients that the foundation and community are proud of the educators’ efforts to bring innovative ideas to the classrooms of local schools.
The foundation is funded by private donations, mostly coming from local and area businesses, individuals, and foundations. Star Grants offer financial support for innovative classroom projects and also projects furthering the education of teachers — all items that would not typically be funded in the normal budgeting process. The foundation awards Star Grants twice each year. Application deadlines are November 1 and April 1. The foundation also selects winners of the Star Excellence Award each year. The award is presented to outstanding educators in the spring. Those individuals are nominated by the public and nominations are due April 1 of each year.
The foundation, founded in 1990, is a private organization established to strengthen community participation in local schools and inspire both teachers and students. With this recent distribution of grants ($15,522), the foundation has funded just under $2,000,000 in local education projects and awards since the organization’s inception.
Start Grant Recipients
In addition to Krueger, current foundation board members are Dr. Ron Bernth, Jodell Krause, Doug Stohlberg, Marian Schultz, Joan Thompson, John Kromer, Heidi Gilbert, and Scott Snyder. Steven Keller is the organization’s volunteer executive director.
Long-term Facility Maintenance and Operational Budget Remain A Challenge
On November 1, 2022, the Board of Education hosted a community meeting to seek input on Elementary Facilities Planning. Approximately three hundred (300) community members came to learn about potential options and financial considerations. The community was presented with ten (10) long-term facility maintenance options. These options included variations of maintaining all six elementary schools, closing two elementary schools, and reconfiguring grade levels that moved 5th grade to the Middle School and 8th grade to the High School.
Based on community feedback, the Board of Education decided they would not close any elementary schools at this time. Many in the community believed additional time was needed to see if the enrollment projections presented by UW-Madison Applied Population Laboratory would continue to trend downward. For many years, it has been the experience of the Hudson School District to have growing student enrollment. It is a significant shift in thinking to see the enrollment numbers trending down or, at best, holding steady. The combination of declining student enrollment, capital maintenance needs, and state aid that has not kept up with inflation has forced the Board of Education to discuss a potential capital and recurring operational levy increase referendum.
The School District has worked with Baird financial services to review budget projections based on enrollment and general assumptions related to various state aid scenarios. Depending on these general assumptions, the School District would likely see a budget deficit ranging from $2.6 million – $3.6 million in 2023-2024. Extending these assumptions to 2026-2027, the School District could face a budget shortage as high as $9.4 million.
The challenge of long-term maintenance needs, operational budget shortfalls, and declining student enrollment are not unique to Hudson. That said, Hudson is uniquely positioned to address this challenge with its strong financial footing. Unlike some school districts that need to rely on short-term borrowing or who have no room left other than to cut staff and programs, Hudson is financially secure. We will continue to engage the community in planning the next steps. The Board of Education will need to decide before the end of January 2023 if they plan to bring an operational levy increase and or capital maintenance referendum vote to the community on April 4, 2023. You can follow the Board’s discussions on long-term maintenance by clicking on the ELEMENTARY FACILITIES tab on our School District website, hudsonraiders.org.
As we close out the calendar year and head into Winter Break, I wish you peace, wonder, and joy. Take time to slow down and create memories with family and friends.
Sincerely,
Nick Ouellette, PhD
The entire staff, administration, and Board of Education wish all the best to the Class of 2022!
HHS Valedictorian
My name is Elizabeth Yray and I will be attending UW-Madison next year for pre-med! Even though I’m super excited for the next step, it’s bittersweet leaving the kids I’ve been going to school with since kindergarten. Some of my favorite memories of high school are from school dances and pep fests. These are my favorite because they are the times where you spend time with people you don’t usually spend time with. They are the times that no one has to worry about friend groups and cliques and we are all just having fun. My advice to incoming freshmen is to not to let expectations dictate your high school experience. There is so much to experience but you will never get to experience it if you stay in your comfort zone. If you go into everything with an open mind, you may surprise yourself and have fun with things you didn’t expect to. You never would have known if you didn’t have an open mind. That advice will be further explained in my speech as well as talking about the memories that tie us all together.
Senior Class President
My name is Blake Buchholz, I will forever be grateful for my time here at Hudson High School. Some of my fondest memories come from everyday things that happen in classrooms, especially hearing teachers’ stories. My favorite is the story of Mr. Gamache’s shop teacher being picked up from school by a helicopter and never returning. Hudson has been a place where I have got to see my passion come alive and feel inspired. This has been done through developing authentic connections with both students and staff that all have so much to offer. Next year, I’m attending the University of Southern California for Public Relations where I will hopefully be continuing to feel this passion. My advice to incoming freshmen would be to get yourself involved within the school. There is so much that can be learned and lasting friendships that can be formed if you are willing to try something new and be okay with the potential failure. Some themes in my speech to look out for are a reflection of the past that has shaped us to who we are and looking towards the future with decisions led by passion.
Seniors spent their last day visiting the elementary schools they attended.